Wof concerns in wake of 'diabolical' law change

Centre City Auto Repairs owner Stephen Fraser inspects a
vehicle for a warrant of fitness in Dunedin yesterday.
Photo by Gerard O'Brien.

The cost for a warrant of fitness inspection could
increase for motorists as a ''diabolical'' law change keeps
unsafe vehicles on New Zealand roads, Dunedin Warrant of
Fitness Centre inspector Phil Park says.

From New Year's Day, a law change required an annual rather
than six-monthly warrant of fitness inspection for vehicles
under 3.5 tonnes registered in New Zealand between 2004 and
2008.

From July, the changes will apply to light vehicles
registered after 2000.

New vehicles will get an initial inspection, then need annual
inspections when they are three years old.

Mr Park said the $50 price for a warrant of fitness
inspection at the South Dunedin centre would be evaluated and
a price increase was possible because of the ''diabolical''
law change.

Dunedin driving conditions meant vehicles needed to be
checked more than once a year.

A woman brought her car to the centre for a warrant this week
and her tyres were bald, he said.

''She was horrified, and those tyres could have blown out
with two kids in the car. That's pretty scary.''

Centre City Auto Repairs owner Stephen Fraser said he issued
his first annual warrant yesterday.

He was concerned that brakes and tyres were easily worn to an
unsafe condition after a year of hilly Dunedin driving and
advised motorists to have their vehicle checked six months
after getting a warrant.

However, many motorists would steer clear of the extra checks
unless something was obviously wrong with their car, he said.

''I think for most people it will be like a toothache - they
will put it off until they have to do something about it.''

He wanted a law change to allow inspectors to make more
detailed inspections by removing wheels and brake drums,
which would result in more vehicles failing inspections and
ensure safer vehicles on the roads.

Then the inspection price would need to increase for the
extra work involved, he said.

Westside Compliance & Service Centre owner Peter Whelan
said he would ''most likely'' have to increase the inspection
price and would re-evaluate it in six months.

Fewer inspections would result in fewer inspectors being
trained.

''It is definitely going to affect the workforce.''

Vehicle Testing New Zealand (VTNZ) South Dunedin manager
Graeme Lewis said there were no plans to raise its $51
inspection fee.

''We review our prices every year but at this stage there has
been nothing said about any price increase.''

German company Dekra bought 60% of VTNZ in November Motor
Trade Association owns the rest.

Mr Lewis said Dekra was not concerned about the law change
when it bought into the company.

Duty Minister Nick Smith said he expected inspection prices
to increase. An increase would be justified because a vehicle
inspected annually had a greater probability of failing.

''And as a consequence that would increase the [inspection]
time slightly and secondly, most businesses do operate on
scale.''

Businesses had fixed costs such as rates and electricity and
the fewer inspections would result in a price increase.

''I do expect there will be some increase in the cost of
getting a warrant of fitness but ... you only need to get one
half as often.''

Automobile Association motoring services manager Stella
Stocks said AA would not advocate an inspection price
increase to cover lost business earnings.

However, the New Zealand Transport Agency was reviewing its
administration fees and if raised fees were imposed on
warrant of fitness testing businesses, a price increase would
be understandable, she said.

Michael, the pink slip for NSW is not every 6 months. It is
12 months whenever you do a renewal. Renewals are every 12
months. You may be confusing the green slip which is for
insurance which you can pay every 6 months if you want to.

In Queensland a vehicle has to have a Roadworthy Certificate
to be sold. It then does not need another until it is
resold.

The responsibility to maintain the vehicle in road worthy
condition remains with the owner and there are subtantial
fines for failing to do so. Insurance cover also
requires that the vehicle is well maintained.

The accident and injury rate is no higher than New Zealand
and, despite no ongoing roadworthy certificate requirement,
vehicles are well maintained as police target vehicles seen
as at risk.

Unlike some industries like my own (construction) with this
one you don't get what you pay for, by paying more. If
certain WOF testing stations put their prices up we will just
go to the cheapest one. The test is of a uniform nature
is it not?. The results should be the same? (or am I
missing something?) I have 6 vehicles which require testing
and 2 trailers. I'll be shopping around.

What utter rubbish. The safety of a modern vehicle, certainly
anything manufactured in the last fifteen or so years, can be
assessed relatively quickly. They are no longer built with
complex and cumbersome suspension and steering systems. Rust
points in body and chassis have largely been eliminated. It
makes no difference to a check whether the vehicle is
inspected once a year or daily. I can understand
inspection agencies being concerned about losing a large
slice of their business, but that's not the motorists'
problem. The moaning and scaremongering will achieve nothing
for them.

Australia or at least NSW has a WOF type thing. It's called a
pinkslip. Without it you can't pay for your greenslip or
rego.

It's yearly for the first 3 or 5 years of a new car's life
then it moves to every 6 months.

I can understand why they might make it yearly for new cars
but once a new car becomes old should the frequency increase
again? ie my 2008 Corolla will get yearly WOF but so will my
2000 Mazda 3 which by all accounts is far more likely to have
a mechanical fault after 13 years of driving.

New Zealand's the only country with a WOF every 6 months.
Many people are struggling with the high cost of living and
making it once a year will help a lot of people, though it
should be for all people and not just the wealthy who can
afford a new car. Mechanics may lose some business but they
have had a good run and should be greatful for the extra
business they've had which they shouldn't have had in the
first place.

Recently having moved to Australia where there are no WOFs I
question the system in its entirety, and especially this
scaremongering. Despite the lack of WOF system in Australia
there's not the hundreds of cars crashing of the road that
these guys would suggest there should be.

I was recently talking to a mechanic who said that all MTA
members have an agreement that the price of a yearly warrant
will double. He said this is not because of any increase in
cost, it's the fact that they don't want to miss out on
income. Makes you wonder if the concern shown by mechanics is
in your interest or theirs.